Mise en scene in ‘promise’
- 1. Setting Characterisatio n Props Lighting and colour MISE EN SCENE IN ‘PROMISE’
- 2. The Home In film, the home setting is used as a place of sanctuary and serenity. By this, I most films depict a home set as safety from the outside or contrastingly danger from what's inside ( generally used in horror/supernatural movies. As my film focuses on romance and drama the home setting portrays a feel of safety and shelter from the outside and is an extended metaphor for Ellie’s vulnerable state. The School A portrayal of a school set is often used to depict again contrasting ideas about youth and what it entails to be young at the period of time the product is based on. Films like ‘17 Again’ and ‘Mean Girls’ give the connotation of teenage life being a struggle for power and the real focus on the importance of image as a teenager. Therefore, by using this setting as part of our film we incorporate the age of our protagonists and are able to identify the importance of public image in a teenagers world. The Prom The prom is key event, often linked with teenage fiction movies as they signify the coming of age and often exist in the conclusion of these films. By including the prom we are highlighting Ellie’s seclusion from her teenage life and how her illness has affected her. We aimed to keep the décor subtle as this would allow more focus to be on Ellie and Jacob, therefore keeping the idea of prom being about Ellie’s last dance. SETTINGS
- 3. Ellie Even in our initial thoughts stage we knew we wanted our protagonist to be female as we felt this would make the film more emotional. The use of a sensitive and vulnerable female character who is empowered by the affection of a male is conventional of filmic narratives, however we wanted to continuously display Ellie as strong, charismatic and fierce to challenge the characteristics of female characters. Sam Sam becomes Ellie’s symbol of hope that she could again be a normal teenager. Although we as the audience know this will unlikely be the case, Sam is a persistent theme of youth and innocence and how when the young are faced with the toughest of circumstances they cannot face it in an adult manner. Dave Dave, Ellie’s father, acts as an image or realism in the story. Despite the love story between Ellie and Sam Dave consistently tries to bring Ellie back down to the facts of her state. Therefore, he can be seen as a dislikeable character in the beginning. It is towards the end of the film that we see a shift in Dave’s approach to Ellie’s care and we adjust to sympathise with her concerned and lonely character. CHARACTERISATION
- 4. The dress The prom dress is a key signifier in displaying Ellie's youth. By having the dress in Ellie's bedroom and in the lounge when her and Sam are conversing, it would represent the way Ellie is holding on to her teenage years as much as she possibly can. She desires to be a normal teenager and to be able to be excited for the prom but she knows it is impossible with her condition. Medical equipment The use of medical equipment simply helps create the mise en scene of illness. By showing a nurse putting together a vaccination and using filming technique to make it appear like Ellie has had an injection will add realism to our narrative, thus making it easier for our audience to connect with the plot. If the audience saw no signs of illness other than the words the actors spoke it would be very difficult to engage them in a believable storyline , so by adding these props it helps create that aspect of realism. Technology The use of an Apple MacBook is conventional in teen films as seen in The Fault in Our Stars, and as this was cinematography we were aiming to follow this cinematography. We also use mobile phones to connect the actors on one occasion. Ellie is holding the phone and the audience can hear the typing sounds, but the text appears in bubbles down her right hand side that have previously been edited in photoshop. This makes it easier to show the conversation between the pair rather than having to designate a different shot to zooming in on the messages. This method is quicker, more informative and more importantly looks realistic as there isn't a pause in time for the audience to read the messages. PROPS
- 5. Lighting Our lighting was already limited due to most of the film being filmed in a house. We tried to avoid using natural lighting of lighting already fixed in the room as these often gave quite a white or yellow tone to the film. Also in scenes that were far too dark there was often not enough of the two to light up the scene. We stuck to using artificial lighting or if the shot was meant to be during the day a small amount of natural lighting as this gave it a more real look. Colour Using the colour correction tools on Edius 7 and sometimes the camera settings we were able to manipulate the colour settings to really emphasise brightness and darkness throughout the story. The opening sequence used quite bright colours as we are able to depict a content equilibrium. Thus, towards the centre of the narrative we are able to depict a disequilibrium with dark coloured costumes and less lighting. In the final scene, there is emphasis on colours like red to show the final feeling of passion. Also with the final shot of a burning fire, it signifies the spark of a new relationship/ bond. LIGHTING AND COLOUR